-don't eat dessert. ever. -eat whole grain carbohydrates instead of processed white carbs. whole grain carbs don't spike your blood sugar and drop fast later. -eat lots of vegetables and lean protein (chicken, fish, tofu) -avoid dried fruit -eat small amounts of fruit (1 banana _or_ 1 apple) in the morning for breakfast -avoid soda and energy drinks -don't put sugar or honey in your coffee -don't drink milk -don't eat cookies, cakes, pies. -if you are on insulin and drink alcohol, be very careful to monitor your blood sugar so it doesn't go low, especially if you mix alcohol and exercise -eat carbohydrates before exercising. keep a large bottle of gatorade in your backpack while exercising in case you go low.
I hate all the Don’t’s in this post! I am kind of in a I hate diabetes mode right now becuase of how it screws with my ability to eat like a normal person without thinking, etc. Sorry if I rained on your post parade but UGH!!!
Sorry to also rain on your parade buuuuut
Dessert is a staple meal for me, I only eat white bread, dried prunes and apples and apricots are possibly my favourite thing, sugar free redbull is regularly consumed, I prefer sugar in my coffee over the chemicals in artificial sweetner, and I have alot of milk in my tea and coffee, cake is regularly consumed because my family is german and I can’t refuse their baking mmmmm so I disagree with your tips. Everything in moderation is my theory… Just because you’re a diabetic doesn’t mean you have to skip dessert every time. Where’s the fun in that?!?
But on a positive note I agree on the protein, veggies and alcohol part hahaa.
Sorry for being a party popper on your post David!
–Lots of ways to get around not eating dessert, by making healthy desserts… or desserts that have minimal spike. Enjoy in moderation. If you ban foods, you end up feeling deprived, and then you binge and fall of the wagon… And you want control for life… So be open to finding different ways to enjoy the food you like.
–While it is true that white carbs spike blood glucose faster than complex carbs, if eaten in controlled portions, they will not spike your blood glucose out of control. However, eating a large portion of complex carbs just becuase they are complex, or whole grain, or have fiber (and not in a controlled portion), WILL spike your blood sugar… If not now, then eventually… Try testing your blood sugar levels 2 1/2 to 3 hours after 1 cup whole grain pasta, and you will see what I mean. Moderation is key, for BOTH.
–I cannot have any small portions of fruit for breakfast because I have Dawn Phenomenon. Fruit are NOT complex carbs. They are simple carbs. This is not always an ideal breakfast for everyone. 1 banana is 30 grams of carbs. Your serving is much more realistic at 1/2 a banana.
–Soda and energy drinks can be okay, if you are about to do massive amounts of exercise, or if you have a low hypo event going on.
–Sugar in moderation is perfectly fine for the daily diet… It’s the amount of carbs it contains we need to worry about. Sugar is a carb. It is NOT a poison.
–Milk is healthy, and when consumed in reasonable portions, are also a manageable carbohydrate. The fats in dairy are known to help burn fat around the belly area.
–Cookies, and some cakes or pies, again… Can be consumed if smartly prepared, or eaten in smart, moderated portions. One small cookie is just 15 grams of carbs. The sugar in it is not going to kill you, if you simply work it into your daily allotted amounts of carbs.
–I agree with the last two points, the minimizing dry fruit (not avoiding it), and eating more protein and veggies… (though tofu can be bad for people with autoimmune issues because it is a goitrogen, and can enlarge the thyroid, and induce the immune system to attack it.)
We want to learn to manage, and live with our disease… Not jail ourselves for life, and throw way the key, nor keep feeding people the misconception that diabetics cannot have sugar, or simple carbs. When managed with reasonable care, there is a lot to be enjoyed in this life… And I hope you don’t find yourself so scared from this disease, that you miss the big picture.
I make awesome healthy, low carb desserts & bake cookies, pies & cakes using almond flour.
For many people, morning is the time when they’re most carb sensitive/insulin resistant, so eating fruit in the morning would be the worst time. With dawn phenomenon, the fewer carbs the better, especially in the form of quick acting fruit sugar.
Whole grains definitely spike my BG just the same as processed.
The lactose in milk is a killer for me, so I use milk substitutes like unsweetened almond milk, or watered down cream.
David, I know you are trying to pass on good tips, however each of us is unique will react differently to things. Some I think are common to most but we all need to test to know how they as an individual will react. I wish I could do a banana, I miss them. My wife makes me 4 gm of carb chocolate chip cookies and 6 gm cheesecake. so deserts are not off the list. There is carb reduced milk that works well even if most cereals don’t cooperate.
so you all have type 1.5 diabetes or type 1 diabetes? why does ‘eating without thinking’ appeal to you Stef? Sophie ya everyone is different, if you dig dessert then by all means eat it! What’s your a1c? Hi Liz, ya I only eat to sustain myself, not for pleasure, I guess so for me it’s no biggie to eat like this.
Hi Gerri, I think your almond flour idea is brilliant to all the diabetics who need sweets to be happy.
So honestly, all of you have healthy A1C’s and don’t really watch what you eat? I’d like to hear more about that…
I agree with David about the white carbs…I only do wheat now. And rye occasionally. BUT for the most part I’m down with Lizmarie. I eat a wide variety of things in my diet now. And hit the gym in the AM for sure each day and in the PM 3 days a week minimum. So its alot of gym work I think that helps with my BG. Dessert is a regular part of my meals anymore. Even for breakfast. Thats where I have a banana (and per Dannys thread, they dont do horrible things to me either.) Then again we are back to that whole exercise thing . LOL I do credit much, if not all, of my success with exercise. Even a brisk walk after “cheating” on a nice piece of pepporoni pizza helps alot.
My former A1c was 14.6. My last A1c was 6.7. My next A1c will be lower yet (I hope) but if not thats fine too. Its a work in progress.
My most recent A1C was 5.3%… and while I am not a Type 1, plenty of other people on this thread who disagree, ARE Type 1’s… This post was posted as advice to all, it didn’t say ‘just for type 1,’ nor was it posted it on the Type 1 forum.
My a1c is down from 7.8 to 6.9 (tested 5 months ago) I now have even better control so im expecting one in the low 6’s now. I haven’t changed my diet at all to get my a1c down.
Last A1c, 6, and I eat mostly because I’m hungry or I enjoy the food. After 40 years of T1D and lots of experImenting I have learned a lot about foods and tecniques that work for me.
If I stuck with your list I’d go crazy for beating up on myself, Learning to enjoy food and taste, while still managing BGs is fun sometime…enjoy life despite the D and master it!
ahh thats kinda sad thinking you only eat to sustain yourself. It should bring some pleasure into ur life. There are lots of ways to prepare foods that make them ok to eat. I used Splenda to make cookies and my family thought they were awesome without knowing the secret change in the recipe. I guess if I was not controlled or had a high A1c I’d feel different. What is your A1c David ?
